Direct and Residual Contributions of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation by Legumes to the Yield and Nitrogen Uptake of Maize (Zea mays L.) in the Nigerian Savannah

Field experiments were conducted to determine the direct and residual contributions of legumes to the yield and nitrogen (N) uptake of maize during the wet seasons of 1994 and 1995 at the University Farm, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria, located in the Northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria. Nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram contributed to the yield and N uptake of maize either intercropped with the legumes or grown after legumes as a sole crop. Direct transfer of N from the nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram to the intercropped maize was 24.9–28.1, 23.8–29.2, 19.7–22.1 and 18.4–18.6 kg N ha^–1, respectively. However, the transfer of residual N from these legumes to the succeeding maize crop was 18.4–20.0, 19.5–29.9, 12.0–13.7 and 9.3–10.3 kg N ha^–1, respectively. Four years of continuous lablab cropping resulted in yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop grown without fertilizer N that were comparable to the yields and N uptake of the succeeding maize crop supplied with 40–45 kg N ha^–1 and grown after 4 years of continuous sorghum cropping. It may therefore be concluded that nodulating soybean, lablab, green gram and black gram may be either intercropped or grown in rotation with cereals in order to economize the use of fertilizer N for maize production in the Nigerian savannah.     

优良豆科牧草--东方山羊豆的研究与利用

开发新豆科牧草资源不仅是改善饲草料品质，提高草地畜牧业生产力的基础，还可为我国实施退耕还林还草，恢复生态环境建设的战略部署提供草本植物物种。东方山羊豆是自1980年后，在前苏联、北欧等国家得到重视的一种新兴豆科牧草，它具有产量高，植株蛋白质含量高，生态适应性强，草地持续稳定性好的特点。本文综述了国内外对该草种的产量及饲用价值评定，回顾了影响山羊豆草地建植和生长的因素，提出了在我国西北地区开展东方山羊豆研究和利用推广的潜力和前景。     

24份加拿大牧草品种引种试验

1986年我们从加拿大碧青种子公司引进牧草种子24份,其中豆科7份,禾本科17份,于当年秋播。从3年试种结果看,Glory苜蓿、Minto苜蓿、Algonquin苜蓿在北京种植,无论是产草量、种子产量、草质还是适应性均表现良好。Leo百脉根在北京可安全越冬,其特点是夏季生长繁茂,草质好,耐牧,耐践踏。Orbit长穗冰草、Chief 中间冰草、阿尔泰野麦草表现为抗寒耐旱,产草量高,但要适时利用,否则会降低饲用价值。俄罗斯野麦草、Nordan沙生冰草、草地看麦娘、猫尾草产草量一般,但草质好,春季返青早,枯黄期晚,可在京郊西部山区种植。无芒雀麦(2份)、鸭茅、牛尾草、(艹鹝)草(3份)均表现为适应性好,草质优,产草量高,是较好的禾本科牧草。白三叶、草地早熟禾可做为地被植物和草坪草。     

盐胁迫对4种禾本科牧草种子萌发和幼苗生长的影响

通过NaCl溶液(0、1.5、3.0、6.0、9.0g/L)处理4种禾本科牧草种子,测定了种子萌发和幼苗生长有关指标。结果表明:美洲狼尾草较耐盐,在9.0g/L盐溶液处理下比其它品种维持了高的发芽率、发芽指数、活力指数,并且其相对值高,以及较高的相对苗长和根长,盐处理显著提高几种牧草幼苗质膜相对透性,总体上降低胚乳的利用速度和利用效率。     

Effects of Two Underseed Species, Medicago polymorpha L. and Scorpiurus muricatus L., on the Yield of Main Crop (Durum Wheat) and Subsequent Crop (Teff) Under Humid Moisture Regimes in Ethiopia

Mixed cropping of leguminous underseed species and cereal crops may increase productivity and serve some additional purposes. Two leguminous weed species which are widely distributed in annual crops of the Ethiopian highlands have been studied with varying coverage in greenhouse trials in Ethiopia with regard to their suitability as underseeds and with wheat ( Triticum turgidum [L.] Thell. var. durum [Desf.] MacKey) as a main crop. The competitive effects of Scorpiurus muricatus L. on the grain yield of wheat were smaller than those of Medicago polymorpha L. (-14.1 % and -23.6 % respectively, compared with the underseed free control) which is mainly ascribed to differences in their speed of development and shoot height. The residual effects of the underseed's root masses on the grain yield of the successive teff crop (Eragrostis tef [Zucc] Trotter) were significantly higher with Scorpiurus muricatus (+99.3 %) than with Medicago polymorpha (+63.6 %). The results are discussed with regard to the specific site conditions in the cereal-dominated cropping systems of the Ethiopian highlands.     

Rural depopulation and recent landscape changes in a Mediterranean region: Consequences to the breeding avifauna

We studied the vegetational and avifaunistic changes following rural depopulation in an area covering 2,600 ha north of Montpellier (Southern France). The study area is covered by a mosaic of Mediterranean habitats that includes cultivation, grasslands, shrublands, and woodlands and is representative of the natural features present and of the human usage practiced so far in this part of the Mediterranean. We sampled the vegetation and the bird fauna in the same 193 census plots in 1978 and in 1992. At both the habitat and landscape scales the cover of woody plants increased significantly. Open habitats tend to disappear. As a consequence the abundance of open-habitat bird species decreased significantly whereas the abundance of forest birds increased significantly. These changes favor a pool of forest species widespread in western Europe and reduce habitat availability for open habitat and shrubland species. Many of the latter are Mediterranean species whose distribution in Western Europe could become reduced under current landscape dynamics. Our observation of more woodlands and their typical birds and of less open habitats and their associated avifauna is not consistent with the traditional worry shown by the public and the managers about the regression of forests and woodlands in the Northern Mediterranean as a consequence of fire.     

新疆退牧还草工程建设与管理的探讨

草地是发展畜牧业的重要基础,退牧还草工程是恢复、更新天然草地和保护生态环境的重要手段。本文就新疆实施退牧还草工程中所出现的一些问题进行了探讨。     

Some determinants of the spatio-temporal fire cycle in a mediterranean landscape (Corsica,France)

Based on recent needs to accurately understand fire regimes and post-fire vegetation resilience at a supra-level for carbon cycle studies, this article focusses on the coupled history of fire and vegetation pattern for 40 years on a fire-prone area in central Corsica (France). This area has been submitted since the beginning of the 20^th century to land abandonment and the remaining land management has been largely controlled by frequent fires. Our objectives were to rebuild vegetation and fire maps in order to determine the factors which have driven the spatial and temporal distribution of fires on the area, what were the feed backs on the vegetation dynamics, and the long-term consequences of this inter-relationship. The results show a stable but high frequency of small fires, coupled with forest expansion over the study period. The results particularly illustrate the spatial distribution of fires according to topography and vegetation, leading to a strong contrast between areas never burnt and areas which have been burnt up to 7 times. Fires, when occuring, affect on average 9 to 12% of the S, SE and SW facing slopes (compared to only 2 to 5% for the N facing slopes), spread recurrently over ridge tops, affect all the vegetation types but reburn preferentially shrublands and grasslands. As these fire-proning parameters have also been shown to decrease the regeneration capacity of forests, this study highlights the needs in spatial studies (both in terms of fire spread and vegetation dynamic) to accurately apprehend vegetation dynamic and functionning in fire-prone areas.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

草原区沙地放牧草地合理利用途径

本文通过对草原区沙地放牧草地在畜牧业生产实践中出现大面积退化和沙化现象的分析 ,探讨了沙地放牧草地合理利用的途径 ,认为对于沙地放牧草地的保护 ,重点应放在草地的合理利用方面。通过以草定畜 ,合理调整载畜量 ;建立合理的利用制度 ;发展季节畜牧业 ;调整畜群结构 ,增加良种畜比例 ;以及改良天然草地 ,建立人工、半人工草地等措施 ,达到草原区沙地草地的可持续利用。     

亚热带牧用草地中威提特东非狼尾草的种子繁殖研究

在3月和4月对全日制放牧的东非狼尾草草地上的风干牛粪取样,进行发芽试验,分别测定其中的东非狼尾草发芽种子数量。结果,3月取样平均432.5 g的牛粪中东非狼尾草平均发芽种子数量为118.25粒,4月取样平均437.8 g的牛粪中东非狼尾草平均发芽种子数量为52.8粒,二者平均牛粪重为435.15 g,平均发芽种子为85.5粒,说明牛粪中东非狼尾草种子数量较多,是其繁殖扩展较快的主要原因;3月取样的种子数量为4月取样数量的1.38倍,说明人工利用牛粪进行东非狼尾草繁殖时,需在有降雨来临前准备,即1～3月进行牛粪的准备工作。